Winter Cold
by Chocobro
Summary: Clerith Month - Day 3: Forehead Touch. Cloud and Aerith have just recently moved into a new home for just the two of them and decorating for the holidays is underway on Aerith's free day, but when Cloud comes home from work after traveling on a cold, winter day feeling under the weather, Aerith takes care of her bodyguard. Kisses, cocoa and cuddles work wonders for a cold.


Hello again! This is my submission for Clerith Month - Day 3, where the theme is about a forehead touch shared between Cloud and Aerith. In "Winter Cold", Cloud and Aerith have just recently moved into a new home for just the two of them and decorating for the holidays is underway for Aerith's free day, but when Cloud comes home from work with a splitting headache from the frosty day, Aerith does what she can to comfort and warm up her bodyguard and sometimes, a kiss can do just the trick.

 **Winter Cold**

There was a cold breeze in the late afternoon of December 3rd, as the flower girl made her way up to the door of her and her boyfriend's new home in the heart of Edge. The first snowof the winter season had started to fall, as the streets were covered in pristine, pure white. The flower girl had a dozen bags hanging from both of her arms, which she carefully placed down at the foot of the doorway and reached into her pocket to retrieve her house keys. She placed her keys into lock and opened the door, grabbing her several bags and shuffling her way into the living room.

With an accomplished, but heavy sigh, she placed the bags on the floor and took a seat on the couch. She opened the bags and her eyes sparkled with the sight of all the Christmas decorations she had purchased from the market.

While Cloud was out for most of the day, finishing up his week's deliveries to the city, even going as far as Kalm Town on even the most coldest of days, with the house left for herself and the holidays only a short time away, Aerith figured it would be time to start decoarting.

Her, Tifa and her adoptive mother, Elmyra, spent that afternoon in the Edge market, wandering through the many shops and stands that had started putting their holiday wares on sale. They'd purchased their ornaments, their stockings and candy canes, garlands and christmas lights, gingerbread cookies and holly, piling them into their bags and gathering everything they needed to create a magical holiday setting for their homes.

'Maybe...I went a little overboard,' Aerith thought to herself with a guilty smile, pulling out all the different Christmas decorations she'd purchased.

It was the first Christmas she and Cloud were spending together in their new place and she wanted it to be perfect. Shortly after she'd been revived, she and Cloud temporarily stayed in Elmyra's home, given that Cloud's room and bed in the Seventh Heaven was entirely much too small for the both of them. That's when Elmyra invited them to stay with her for a few months, which they had done so, even though it was only a temporary stay.

Cloud and Aerith were both ready to find their own place together and they did just that, finding a modest, comfortable home for the two of them on the outer districts of Edge, off by the rolling grasslands and flower fields that led towards Kalm.

With a new place for just herself and Cloud, she wanted their home to feel just as magical and beautiful at Christmas time, as it had been when she was just a girl helping her mother decorate their old home in Midgar for the holidays. So, she set to work and began setting all the different assortment of Christmas goods across the table.

"Hmm, stockings for the mantle, garland for the staircase railing, ornaments - can't use those til we get a tree first..."

She hummed to herself for a quick moment and decided to start on decorating the home with the garland. She heaved the package garland over her shoulder and took the cases of candy canes and gingerbread cookies. Dropping off the candy and cookies on the kitchen table, she quickly went to her phone and saw that Cloud had messaged her about twenty minutes before.

'Hey babe. Just finished up the last delivery. Should be back home in an hour. I love you.'

Aerith smiled to herself, placing the phone down on the counter. She loved the little messages Cloud would send her throughout the day when he had a chance to do so. Usually, it was about how his day was going or how the few hours apart made him miss her so much, but she always replied with a laugh saying she'd welcome him home in a few hours with a kiss. Of course, she always loved whenever Cloud told her that he was making her way back home.

She made her way over to the stairwell that led up to the second floor of the home where their bedroom was and began untangling the stack of garland decoration. She weaved the garland through the banister railing, wiring it to the railing as she made her way through it. The bristles were prickly and sharp to the touch, making it somewhat of an annoyance to complete the task, but she continued all the way up the banister.

About fifteen minutes later, she finished setting up the garland and went back to the living room. She placed a finger to her chin and pictured the room and where the best place to put the tree would be. There were two couches, one slightly larger than the other, both with end tables and then across from there, a television set on the wall. A small fireplace stood alongside the television at the far end of the room. She decided the tree would look best in the one corner of the room, where it could be seen from the open doorway at the front of the house. She went to one of the couches and pushed it over, making room for the tree when they finally had it.

It wasn't long before she heard the hum of a motorcycle engine pull up to the front of the house. She made her way over to the living room windows and looked through the curtains, seeing that her boyfriend had just made it back home. A large smile spread on her face, seeing Cloud step down from his motorcycle, a good-sized pine tree strapped to the back of the bike.

'He didn't tell me he was getting the tree, too,' Aerith thought to herself with a smile.

She let out a quiet chuckle, watching as Cloud awkwardly moved in a huge, heavy winter jacket, clad and dotted with snowflakes and frost. He ruffled a hand through his hair, swatting the snow that had frozen itelf to his spiky, blonde hair. He exhaled out, letting out a frosty, cold breath, his cheeks flushed and red.

Aerith stared at him apologetically, he looked so cold and tired out there. Without another moment, she quickly made her way to the door and opened it up for him to greet him.

"Hey you," she called out to him, staring at him sypathetically as he shivered through the cold and went to unstrap the tree from his bike. "Don't you worry about the tree right now. It'll be fine. You, on the other hand, we need to get you warmed up."

"Y-ye-yeah, t-thanks," Cloud said through chattering teeth. He shuffled his way through the snow and up to their house. He let out a cold shiver once he stepped inside the warmth of his and his girlfriend's home.

"Here, let me," Aerith said, helping him take off his winter jacket. It was so riddled with frost, it almost seemed like the entire jacket was frozen solid. She took his coat and hung it up in the closet for him. "You didn't have to go out and get a tree if it was such a cold, snowy day, Cloud. You have to take care of yourself or you'll get yourself sick." She went up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into her.

Cloud rested his head down on her shoulder and closed his eyes, "But then if I'm sick, I won't have to go to work and I'll get to stay home with you."

Aerith chuckled and brought a hand up to gently play through his hair, "Oh, I get it. So, that's what you wanted all along - to get sick so you can stay home and have me take care of you?"

Cloud grinned and let out a small laugh against her neck, "Maybe..."

"Well, I wouldn't mind," Aerith smiled and spoke gently against his ear, "I love taking care of you, my love."

"Mm, me too," he smiled and lifted his head up. Suddenly, he winced out in pain, his eyes closing tightly, his brows scrunched together. Then, the sneezes came. One right after another, as he held his cold, reddened nose. "Damn...I think you might have to start sooner rather than later."

"You okay," she asked him with a concerned look in her eyes.

Cloud scowled and grunted out, raising a hand up to his forehead and feeling a light-headedness swirl around him, "My head is...killing me. I've had a splitting headache ever since this morning and now this damn cough, too. I think I might have caught something out there in the cold."

"Nooo," she looked up at him, with a sad expression, as she always felt so sorry and saddened whenever he wasn't feeling the best. "And you were out there all day, too. You might be catching a cold."

"I think I've already caught it," Cloud said, before letting out another several sneezes. He groaned out, his eyes drooping slowly, as he realized just how nasally he started to sound.

Aerith gently rose her hand up to his forehead, feeling the warmth of his skin. When he groaned out, she delicately trailed her hand and fingertips along his forehead in an attempt to soothe him, massaging his warm skin. It seemed to work for a short moment, as Cloud closed his eyes and savored his girlfriend's gentle touch. She stared at him with an apologetic smile, "What am I gonna do with you, Cloud Strife?"

"Take care of me and love me forever?" He asked with a puppy dog sparkle in his eyes.

"You know I'm already going to do that," Aerith chuckled, before letting her hands fall down to his neck, holding him lightly there. She leaned up to him and brought his head down towards her, raising her lips up to place a sweet, light kiss on his forehead.

Cloud smiled to himself, enjoying the light affection offered to him by his lover. Her kisses always made him feel better and warmed him even on the coldest winter days. He especially loved when she kissed his forehead, but all of the soft, tantalizing kisses she had placed all over him were just as special and heart-warming as the last.

It was like the quick forehead kiss had began to thaw Cloud's cold and decrease the effect that the headache had on the soldier.

Aerith pulled back from him and gave him a thin-lipped smile, "For being outside in the cold all day, your forehead's absolutely burning up. You probably have a fever."

He groaned out again, an agitated look on his face, as he felt another strike of pain hit his forehead. He brought his hands down to warp around Aerith's waist and drooped his head down to rest on her shoulder. He stayed there, taking in the softness of his girlfriend's skin.

"Come on, let's get you warmed up and feeling better," she said, taking his warm hand in hers and leading him to their living room.

As Cloud made himself comfortable and sprawled out on their couch, Aerith went to the fireplace and went to starting a small fire to warm the two of them. Within moments, the logs set in the hearth soon lit with a small flame, casting a golden flickering, soothing glow across the living room. After the fire was set, Aerith left the room and left Cloud to relax.

Cloud let out a heavy sigh, feeling a bit light-headed and he closed his eyes. He supposed he would just sleep off his cold before it developed into something worse. He placed a hand behind his head and shuffled into the couch to become more comfortable.

A few moments later, Aerith returned to the room with a large cotton blanket in her arms and two mugs of hot cocoa filled to the brim with marshmallows and whipped cream, which she placed on the table beside the couch. "I figured you'd like something to warm you up. If you're up to it after your nap, I could make you some soup later?"

"I'd love that." Cloud smiled up at her, seeing how thorough she was with taking care of him. It warmed his heart. He watched as she spread the blanket out over his form, "You do such a good job taking care of me. Thanks, babe."

"It's nothing that you haven't done for me before," she smiled back at him. "I told you, sweetheart. I always love taking care of you...especially when you're feeling a little under the weather."

Cloud closed his eyes and smiled, feeling the flower girl lean down and kiss him on the forehead again. He opened his eyes and looked up at her, "I love you, Aerith. I love you...more than anything."

"I love you, Cloud," she said, leaning down and placing a light kiss on his lips. "Don't worry about the tree and decorations, we've got time to get to all the holiday decorations. You just rest now and start feeling better, okay?"

Cloud nodded and gently brought his hand up to hold her arm, lightly pulling her towards him, "Stay here with me? Please? It'll make me feel better quicker..."

"Well then, how could I say 'no' to that," Aerith giggled.

Cloud grinned and lifted the blanket up, welcoming Aerith onto the couch with him. The flower girl moved on top of his form and settled down comfortable, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head down lightly on his chest, resting in the nape of his neck.

Cloud sighed happily, moving the blankets over the both of them. He brought his arms around Aerith's back and held her close to him, delicately trailing his fingers over her, taking in the softness of her skin. She'd never felt more safe or secure as she did when he was holding her in his arms.

Aerith nuzzled into his chest, mewling contently, "This is more like it."

"Mmm..." Cloud agreed quietly with a simple nod as he smiled.

She turned her head and grinned up at him, "And if you're feeling better later tonight, I can think of all _sorts of ways_ to warm you up, my love...all your favorite type of ways." She flirtatiously winked up at him, trailing her hands under his shirt to rest on his toned stomach and chest, sensually tracing circles against his warm, bare skin.

Cloud blushed fiercely and moaned at the sensation of her gentle touch. "Oh, well, now I'm not sure how I'll get any rest at all with those thoughts you just put in my mind..."

Aerith chuckled against him and kissed his neck sweetly, "Later, bodyguard. Just get some rest now."

He looked down at her softly and nodded, "Mmm, okay.."

She settled down against him and let out a yawn, cuddling into his chest and closing her eyes, feeling so warm and cozy in her boyfriend's arms. After a few moments, she gently fell asleep with a soft smile on her lips.

Cloud looked down at the sleeping angel in his arms, noticing how beautiful and peaceful she looked. It was small, simple moments like this that Cloud loved. Just him and her cuddling together in the early winter evening, one looking after the other without a single care in the world. It was moments like this where Cloud was eternally grateful to have someone like her love someone like him. He'd spend everyday for the rest of his life loving and taking care of his flower girl, as she had done the same for him.

He brought his head down and rested his lips against her forehead, keeping his warm lips pressed there in a light, soft kiss. Cloud fell asleep, his lips resting against Aerith's forehead.

As the cold evening drew nearer with the sunset, the snow continued to fall down from outside the living room window. The orange glow from the fireplace cast soft hues against the cuddling couple on the couch who stayed like that throughout their sleep, both finding the warmth and comfort they needed in one another's arms.

One of Aerith's eyes peeked open then, feeling Cloud's warm lips pressed against her forehead. With a content smile, she returned to her sleep in Cloud's arms, happy.

Little did Cloud know, Aerith loved his forehead kisses just as much as he did.

"Sweet dreams, my love," she whispered to him, before falling asleep in his arms.


End file.
